Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 Is Here!

The wait is over: On Saturday, June 17, Americans for the Arts released Arts & Economic Prosperity 5, our fifth national study of the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry. The most comprehensive study of its kind ever conducted, it documents the economic contributions of the arts in 341 diverse communities and regions across the country, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Detailed expenditure data was collected from 14,439 arts and cultural organizations and 212,691 of their attendees.

And the results are just as big. The arts are an engine of economic growth, tourism, and employment. Nationally, in 2015, nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and their audiences:

Generated $166.3 billion in economic activity

Supported 4.6 million full-time equivalent jobs

Generated $27.5 billion in government revenue

Typical arts attendees:

Spent $31.47 per person, per event beyond the cost of admission

69% of nonlocal attendees indicated their primary reason for visiting was "specifically to attend this arts or cultural event."